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“Elevator Ups and Downs”
“Delusional pain hurts just as much as pain from actual trauma. So what if it’s all in your head.” – Tracy Morgan
I couldn’t wait formy date with Sharon. She was everything I wanted in a woman, only she couldn’t see it. She was too consumed with self-doubt and being jealous of her best friend to notice. If she looked right in front of her, she would see the love she longed for was standing here with arms wide open, hidden inside of a gruff biker who was just as lonely as she. I had watched her for months. Ever since Mouse came to Jax, Sharon had been different.
I quietly observed how she acted whenever Mouse entered the room. There was always a change in the room temperature. Things always turned icy. Oh, she tried to hide it with her fake smiles and her laughter, but I wasn’t buying it. Her eyes gave her away every time. I couldn’t understand why she had such a dislike for her friend because Mouse was a sweetheart. Okay, yeah, she offed Bear, but that was in retaliation of him raping her and murdering her father. Who could blame Mouse? Everyone in the club loved her, and Ace would do anything for her. Prez didn’t take to too many people. If he fell for Mouse, she had to be golden. She was good people and her father had been as stand up as they come. I was determined to get to the bottom of this issue and maybe help Sharon resolve it before things got to a point where she did something she couldn’t take back. The worst part was that Mouse had no idea her friend had animosity towards her.
My mind snapped back to Sharon as the nasally voice of the lady on the phone returned to the line. She had me on hold and was now ready to take my reservation for tonight.
“Thank you for holding, Sir. We were able to get you that table you requested by the window overlooking the water. I have you down for 8:00 PM under Mr. Hirano. Please don’t be late. We will only hold your table for five minutes after your reservation time.”
“I’ll be on time, and thank you so much for your help.”
“It was my pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Well, what do you know? There was still good customer service out there, and I didn’t have to open my wallet to get it. I hung up the phone and immediately Googled a place to get flowers, but then I thought better. I had never heard Sharon mention a love of flowers. What I had noticed about her was her lavender scented lotion. It always tickled my nose when she entered the room. I associated the scent with her. Instead of ordering a bunch of flowers that would die in a day or three, I ordered something more personal. A giftbox of lavender scented sachets for her to use in her lingerie drawer was just the ticket. I wanted to be sure she thought of me every time she slid on her sexy panties.
***
A TEXT MESSAGE FROMBaby interrupted me as I sprayed on my favorite cologne. I had gone through my grooming ritual and was almost ready to head out to pick Sharon up. I knew that bastard, Baby, couldn’t resist fucking with me, and he didn’t disappoint. I retrieved my phone from the dresser and laughed as I read the message aloud.
Baby:Enjoy tonight. It will be your last chance to get within 50 feet of my woman.
Me:After tonight, she won’t even look your way, dufus. She’ll forget all about you and that piece of fur hanging from your stupid face.
Baby:Yea, right. Every time she says the word baby, just know she’s thinking of me and what I’m going to do to that luscious body tomorrow.
Me:Fuck you, asshole.
I locked my phone, picked up my keys, her gift and left to go pick up my lady. I had no time for Baby’s antics. He was trying to get in my head, and I wouldn’t allow it. The drive to Sharon’s took less than fifteen minutes. I timed it perfectly. Arriving right on time, I sauntered into the clubhouse and hit the elevators, ignoring the catcalls from my club brothers and sisters. They were used to Matrix, the gruff biker who dressed like the typical bad boy. They had no idea I had layers to my personality. I never really cared what others thought of me. I wore what I wore to fit my mood. My first date with Sharon was worth dressing in a suit. I felt sexy and powerful in it, like I used to when I used to work in the corporate sector.
You may be wondering why I was picking Sharon up at the clubhouse. Well, Sharon had been staying there ever since she came back to Jacksonville after living in New York for a few years. I knew she was starting over and had some financial issues to work out. She worked several odd jobs to make ends meet. Waitressing, bartending, she even worked in a day care for a hot minute. None of those things fulfilled her, but I could tell she was excited about the possibility of being back in the dance world. Hopefully Mouse would offer her the job so she could get back to doing what she loved... dancing. Maybe that would be the catalyst to start mending their friendship.
I stepped into the elevator and just before it closed a dainty hand reached in, causing the door to fly open. The hand belonged to Mouse, the First Lady of the Predators MC and my lady’s bff, well sort of. A huge smile spread across her face when our eyes met. Mouse was like a little sister to me. That wasn’t always the case. When she first arrived, I was madly attracted to her, but it was clear from the jump that she was Ace’s. I quickly gave up the notion of getting close to her. Now we enjoyed a close friendship. She was in my inner circle. She loved to laugh, and I loved to joke around. Baby and I kept her in stitches. She entered the elevator and pressed the button to her floor, the same as Sharon’s.
“Hey, Matrix! You look like a million bucks tonight, brother. Whoever she is, she’s one lucky lady.”
She looked me up and down and circled her finger, silently asking me to turn so she could see the entire outfit. Her appraisal of my attire made me blush. I wasn’t used to her looking at me like that. It wasn’t sexual. It was almost like she was proud of me. I indulged her and gave her my pimp daddy spin and posed as she laughed.
“You’re damn right she’s lucky. And just for the record, I look like a billion bucks tonight. This suit is designer, I will have you know.”
Mouse chuckled and swatted at me playfully. She aimed for my arm, but I jumped out of the way causing her to lose her balance. My arms shot out and caught her, causing her to fall against me. At that exact moment the doors to the elevator opened, and who was standing there but Sharon. She had this shocked and angry look on her face seeing us so close and touching. It must have looked like something it wasn’t because she spun around and started walking away. I quickly stepped away from Mouse, said my goodbyes and chased after Sharon.
She was livid when I caught up to her. If looks could kill, I’d be a dead man walking. If I wasn’t careful, she would castrate me and leave me lying in a pool of my own blood. I reached out and caught her arm, turning her to me.
“Sharon, what’s that all about? Why did you take off like a bat out of hell?”
“You’re joking right? You were supposed to be coming to take me out, and I find you all hugged up with my friend in the elevator. Are you two fucking behind the president’s back? I should have known better. Anytime I show the slightest interest in a guy, he seems to want her.”
I watched as she transformed into someone I didn’t know. Her steely gaze was one of nightmares. She was cold and stand offish, like I had never seen before. I was the one who watched and observed everyone’s behavior for sport, and this shocked the hell out of me. How did I miss the fact that she was hurting? I saw the way she looked at Mouse when she thought no one was looking, but I thought it was jealousy. Now I was beginning to understand.
“Sharon, look at me. I am not now, nor have I ever had an affair with Mouse. She is like my little sister. She was picking on me because I am wearing a suit. She went to hit me when I said something smartassed, and I moved out of the way. What you saw was me keeping her from falling. Now, can you fix your face and accompany me to dinner? You look lovely by the way.”
I meant it. She was a knockout. Sharon stood there wearing one of those dresses that the women wore now a days, made out of strips of cloth. I think I heard someone call them bandages once. Some shit like that. Anyway, they were made to show off the curves of a woman, and my woman had plenty of curves. Her hourglass figure was popping out all over that dress, causing my eyes and another part of my anatomy to bulge. She chose the color red, perfect for a siren like her. She tapped me on the shoulder as I stood there with drool collecting on my chin. Damn.
“Umm, Matrix? I appreciate the compliment, but can you please wipe your face. It is so not becoming.”
I chuckled at her attempt to joke. Sharon would never use a word like becoming unless she was being sarcastic. Secretly, I knew she loved the attention. I snagged a handkerchief from my jacket pocket and tidied up. I was old school and carried one with me everywhere I went. It was something I learned from my grandpa, and I never let it go. He taught me all about how to be a proper gentleman when I was growing up. I valued those lessons and used them whenever the opportunity presented itself. Like on a first date with a woman you craved.
